When I recognised Ray Allen in the movie He Got Game
When I couldn't see or distinguish anything without my glasses
Olfactory
When I smelled bread, and turns out there was a bakery right around the corner
When I first smelled AlBaik and thought it was KFC
Touch
When I was able to pull out my ipod from my bag without looking
When I touched a Pencil in my schoolbag thinking it was a pen
Auditory
When I recognised the song abdullah was playing on his computer
When I mistook Xavar's voice as Rami's on the phone
Taste
When the milk I drank turned out to be 3 months past expiry date
When I thought the Beef I was eating was Lamb
In what ways does the biological constitution of a living organism determine, influence or limit its perception?
Different animals or insects have very different attributes. Animals such as dogs have very enhances sense of smell, they're able to differentiate between people, animals and even hazards through their nose, which limits the dogs reliability on his other senses such as vision (black & white), so to a dog people have different scents, even though they may not be able to recognise twins, they'll be able to find a man in disguise.
Flies, the insect has almost a 360 degree peripheral vision, which allows it to see incoming danger from all angles, providing the fly with higher survival chances. At the same time the flies hairs are so sensitive that they can feel the force from an incoming swat, boosting it's survivability rates. So a fly would rely mainly on it's vision and touch to survive in nature.
If humans are sensitive only to certain ranges of stimuli, what consequences, including positive attributes and limitations, might this have for the acquisition of knowledge? Provide examples.
Smell - Humans don't have a very effective nose, in that it can only smell much more concentrated odours which help it recognise the smell of for example bread or tomatos. Even though our nose is able to different between a very wide range of odours, it's very limited compared to how a dog can easily distinguish the scent of different people, animals or even explosives and drugs.
Our limit in smell, makes us rely more on our senses such as vision to recognise people, animals and hazards. When we perceive an object as 'nice' we may only be judging it's aesthetic quality, as we may not be able to pick up on a 'bad smell'.
Hearing - Humans ears are capable of picking a wide range of sounds, and be able to recognise difference in pitch or volume like we do when we're listening to music, the most acute of human hearing would probably be being born with perfect pitch. However, as impressive as perfect pitch is, compared to the ears of a Cat, the human ears can't pick up very quiet, and high frequency sounds.
Our knowledge is limited through hearing in the way that because we can't hear anything with our ears, we assume that it's not making any noise, but it could be. Such as the ticking of a clock, or the sounds dolphins make.
Sight - Humans are able to distinguish different colours from each other, which is a positive attribute that enhances our aesthetic perception, but our vision is very limited in how we can't 'zoom in' to futher objects, look up close at a material, have a wider scope of vision, or be able to see in the dark, while many animals have the forementioned attributes.
As our eyes can't allow us to see things in detail from a distance, the judgement we make of a building, drawing from a distance can vary from what we perceive up close, which explains how many optical illusions work. Our inability to look at things up close and in great detail can also bias or alter our judgement, something smooth can turn out to be very rough.
How does technology extend and modify the capabilities of the senses?
Modern day technology is able to extend all our senses far beyond our naked sense. With microscopes and telescopes, we're now able to zoom in to even molecular detail of a material, and on the flip side we're to look at and analyse the surface of the moon, compared to the silver disc we see with our bare eyes.
Deteriorating vision is a natural process or even an innate quality, but glasses can now easily correct our vision.
Hearing aids help us pick up much softer noises, especially for elderly people with poor hearing. While sound receivers are able to recognise high frequency sounds which our ears can't pick up and display the information to us through other means( numeric, graphical).
Animal
Sense
Determines
influences
limits
consequences
Dogs
Smell - Hear
walks around sniffing everything
sensitive to smell - sensitive to high pitches
seeing is poor relies on smell
limits role of dog at mun conference
Flies
Peripheral Vision Sensitive hairs
is able to see incoming danger feel incoming danger
able to avoid danger, to survive
flies can't taste can't hear
won't recognise fly traps
People
smell-hear-vision-touch-taste
use of all 5 senses to analyse environment
can use different senses to come to a conclusion (look at bread, smell bread, taste bread)
Weak smelling capabilities, Can't hear from a distance
Relies most heavily on Vision
___
Perception
What are the primary ways in which we know the world around us?
Are there stages to perception?
Here are some recognized stages. Define them and find examples:
-filtering - subconsciously ignoring certain things. Ignoring the air con sound in the middle of class, ignoring my bag that's pressed against me.
-halo and horn effect - Seeing 1 thing, then realising your first impression was wrong. Seeing a big tall bball gear wearing person, but turns out he doesn't play basketball at all
-organizing - taking in and rearranging what you have perceived from different senses/ideas/observations to come to a conclusion
-There are 70 floors in the building, 6 apartments per floor, 3 people per apartment. i can organise this information to find out how many people live in this building.
-stereotyping - Prejudices we hold before a real understanding - Zein tells me he's lebanese, so I assume he eats tabouleh.
-filling in information - When you consciously use certain sense to come to a conclusion - I see white liquid, I smell or taste it to verify my assumption that it's milk.
-interpretation - reading and analysing a situation - Fahad came in with big smiles and spoke very bubbly, I can interpret this situation and come to a conclusion, good news, good breakfast, good night's sleep.
Perceptual Illusions
Is your perception always accurate? Provide examples of when it is trustworthy, and when it might not be.
Perception is not always accurate, I've mistaken the smell of fried chicken to be fried fish.
Are people’s perceptions the same? How do you know this? Does this invalidate your or another person’s experience?
People's perception is very different, although our senses generally work the same way, but everything is relative. Alyssa might view me as tall, but Mr. Tennis views me as short, but my height hasn't changed. My height is relative to them, or what they're used to, so neither perception is invalid, just different.
Why might misperceptions occur?
Misinterpretation can occur for many reasons:
Flawed senses - Many people are short sighted, or long sighted, and therefore often mistakes an object for another, or printed words for other words too.
Unfamiliarity - Certain scents A and B can be quite similar, if the person has only been exposed to A before, s/he may not catch on to the small changes and mispercept B for A, which is a scent he knows
Relativity - If Adam was stood next to Mr. Tennis, from a distance I would think Adam is short, and most likely shorter than me, but in reality he isn't. Same with placing Zein next to someone smaller than him, I may interpret the information and conclude that Zein is much taller than me, which in reality he isn't.
Selectivity of Perception
How do we validate our perceptions? Do we ignore some and rely more heavily on others? Why?
There are many ways to validate our perceptions.
Moving in closer - (Vision) from a distance I may not be able to tell what breed a dog is, but if i move closer I can be sure that it really is a Labrador.
Comparison to memories - (Smell, Taste, Vision) If I had seen this dog before, or that I had read it is a Labrador, then my assumption of the breed of this dog would be validated
Survey - (Vision, Smell, Taste) If I think this meat tastes like beef, I can ask my friends to try it and tell me whether or not my perception is in line with theirs, the majority.
Authority - (Vision) I may not be sure of this breed of dog that' i've so I can look it up on the internet or ask the owner to confirm my assumptions.
As humans, I think we rely on Vision more than anything else for several reasons. As many objects can be made of the same material, or made to be in similar shapes, we can't touch this object and know that it is the one we're looking for, e.g note books with names on top. Also, human's sense of smell is not very acute, we are not able to differentiate between the scent of people, or books etc. To taste things would imply that we put the object into our mouth, which isn't plausible as it's dangerous, and also people can't taste the difference between a green notebook and a blue notebook.
What things might affect how you interpret your perceptions? Is this selectivity conscious or unconscious?
Many different aspects will affect the way people interpret perceptions, which mostly I think are unconscious.
Poor vision - If my eyesight isn't very good, I may misread the word 'reed' for 'read' in a book, which isn't a conscious action for me to read a word incorrectly, I was influenced by my vision.
Relativity - Putting a 6ft person next to Mr. Tennis, would make this person appear short, we unconsciously compare this person's size to Mr. Tennis'.
Can you provide reasons why people perceive things differently? Explain
Everyone is born physically difference, which means that different people will actually receive different information inputs from the same situation, also I think that people tend to compare their environment and situations to themselves and their memories which comes back to how relativity affects people's perception.
Innate senses - Not everyone is born with the same sensitivity of senses. There are people who are born with an over-efficient skin reproduction system so salt on their skin would burn much more than on a regular persons'. Also, how some people are able to eat more spice than others reflects on the different tongue sensitivity. Some people are also born colour blind.
Relativity - A 4ft person may seem short to me, but to a baby this person would appear to be a giant. The baby and I both took in the same image of this 4ft person, but our perceptions are of opposites, because the baby and I are physically different too.
Seeing and Believing
What do you create from your perceptions? In this case, one could ask, what belief or models affect our perception?
What we make from our perceptions can be very much affected by our upraising, our influence and religious faith.
Influence - If I watched a amateur magic trick with a 5 year old, I wouldn't believe in this trick at all as I've been told otherwise and I've personally learned some of the tricks behind the amateur magic tricks, however a 5 year old strongly believes in the existence of magic.
Upraising - If people are raised in different places, rural, urban, rich or poor areas their judgement of differnet places they go to will be very different, and their judgment of aspects such as sanity and space can differ greatly.
Religious Faith - In places such as the U.S and England, people eating pork bacon for breakfast would be the most mundane and ordinary situation ever. However, countries such as Saudi Arabia prohibit even the existence of pigs in the country, so to a Muslim, watching some one eat pork can be very offensive, but not to an Atheist, or believer of certain other faiths. So this 'pork is bad' concept can be written in etched so deeply that they unconsciously and automatically perceive eating pork as bad.
This leads to the question of if, or how are, the senses used in the different Areas of Knowing?
Information that we take in from our senses are stored in the our minds and memory, so that when ever we encounter similar objects or situations again, we can call upon our memory to recognise something, or to act in a certain way. This one is important and could use some additional ideas.
Distinguishing Appearance from Reality How would you be able to confirm if your perceptions are representing what you are experiencing accurately?
I don't think I there is always a way to confirm whether or not my perceptions are 'accurate', as I have mentioned before everything is relative to the person experiencing it, and that everyone's senses have a different level of sensitivity. However, when people have obvious flaws in their senses such as colour blind, or short sight, we can either ask someone else with better vision, or move in closer to confirm the experience.
We can also have external influences, whether it's from hallucinogens or even fatigue in our body, we can wait till these effects disappear to confirm our perceptions.
Reality
So if there is agreement that perceptions may not be perfect, then how do we get around them to perceive reality? Or, is this even possible?
There is not always definite way to get around to perceive reality, because most times the information the individual's senses perceive is the reality. The extensive use of technology can fine tune or make certain senses more acute.
Situations where there really is a reality, is when there is a definite answer, such as the misreading of words. Perceptions such as their taste of a food could be different, but the extra spiciness they feel is their reality, as is their vertigo or sensitivity to height.
word
Explaining Earth to the Aliens
Our perceptions can be different. It may not be able to hear, speak, see, or smell. Colour blind, sees more colours, extremely sensitive smell etc.
Try to explain that all humans will look like me in the sense of head, body, arms, legs, fingers etc. Explain people have differnet colours, height. Will not try to explain gender, because the differences can be too subtle for aliens
Draw or present some pictures of buildings, and cars as that's how life is in most societies nowadays.
I'll try to explain to him all the things I see are from me, point to my eyes, ears, nose, hands, mouth. So it's the truth for pretty much everyone else.
The nature of emotions
What is the underlying nature of our emotions?
It can be arbitrary, but there is always influence from our environment, from the information we're receiving, and the condition our body.
When you feel an emotion, how do you know you are feeling that way? Can you explain why you are having this emotion?
You 'feel' the emotion, there aren't any definite ways to describe that you know, but there are always signs that give away your emotion, as well as desires you feel in you like, the desire to punch someone in the face.
Sad - Face drops, start crying, can't smile anymore
Angry - The desire to punch someone in the face, face becomes very serious
Happy - Smile, very light mood, sees the good to everything,
Describe the process by which you develop an emotion. In what ways do we describe emotions through language?
A mental state that arises spontaneously rather than through conscious effort and is often accompanied by physiological changes; a feeling: the emotions of joy, sorrow, reverence, hate, and love.
We develop emotions through the information we take in from our environment, whether or not we like what we hear will affect our emotions, as will our judgment of actions we see around us. Emotions can also be altered physically, through a physical pain, or physical nausea.
Describing emotions through language is difficult, as it's something that people feel, different people feel these emotions differently, some people can't feel and recognise emotions.
Can you reason about emotions?
There are ways you can reason yourself out of a certain emotion, however the time it takes or the effort it takes may vary depending on the intensity of the emotions.
Intensities of Sorrow:
Death of close relative - You can reason yourself out of this if they really died peacefully, and that death brings and end to their pain, if they were sick before. However, the loss of the person will still make a lasting impact, and it may take a few months or years to really convince yourself, to not feel sorrow over the death anymore.
Failing of a Quiz - You can always tell yourself to work harder, prepare and do well on the next quiz. Learn something from this experience, or find a plausible excuse (was sick, not enough time to prepare).
What things influence your emotions?
Information - Good or Bad news. Funny or Sad movie.
Longing - Missing or longing for an object, experience or person.
Physical Conditions - Pain, Hunger, Nausea, bad vision etc.
Environment - Hot, Dry, Humid, Cold etc. This is closely tied in to physical conditions though.
Are controlling emotions a good or a bad thing? Explain with examples.
Controlling emotions is a good thing, because in many cases emotions such as Anger and Sadness can be overwhelming and especially with anger, you may end up doing something you didn't meant to. Being able to control these emotions means that you're always able to control your actions. Also it's always important to know when to settle down and calm the 'happiness' with in you down.
How do emotions change as you get older? Why does this happen?
As we grow older, our emotions become more 'hardened', as we would have been exposed to a wide range of experiences, we will have a rating system in our mind, where dropping a cup on the ground will bring negligible sadness in comparison to the death of a relative. We learn to control our emotions better as well, because throughout the years we understand our emotions more, and we learn to avoid or solve the different situations that affect us uniquely.
Are emotions influenced by culture?
Different cultures, appreciate or despise different things so when 2 people of different cultures receive the same information, the emotions they feel can be of opposites. Some cultures might commit more beating than others, people from the beating culture will be more hardened against pain, and the emotions they feel when watching other people getting beat could be different. (terrible example.)
Emotions as obstacle
Can emotions affect the way we understand something?
Yes, emotions can greatly affect the way we understand/learn something. Similar to what was mentioned in the video on the TOK wiki, if we are convinced we can't achieve something, or we are convinced that we don't like it, then the emotions will really affect our ability to learn or understand the topic.
If a person was really down and unhappy, this emotion can be so overwhelming that when they try to watch a comedy movie, they don't see any funny in it at all, and fail to understand the humor.
Can emotions limit the reliability or even the validity of a knowledge claim? Provide examples.
When we are strongly influenced by different emotions, the way we perceive things change, which gives doubt to the knowledge given during this period.
e.g - if someone was extremely upset over something, and someone oblivious to the emotion came over and said something friendly but mildly offensive, then the person can react wildly compared to how they would usually laugh and understand the harmlessness behind the words.
Can emotional responses be misunderstood by others? How do you get around that?
Yes, different situations pertain to people differently, if 1 specific situation affects an individual greatly, and causes them to react or act wildly, this can be interpreted by other people wrongly, in that the situation isn't as severe it has been exaggerated by the person's reaction. You can't really get around this other than to actually go experience the situation yourself.
Emotions as source
Can emotions be an important aspect of creating knowledge? Provide examples.
Emotions will create a biased opinion, in that this knowledge may not be as accurate.
A sad person who watched a comedy movie may find it boring, which may be the truth to the person, but that person was also under influence, which deems this 'movie is not funny' knowledge inaccurate.
What is emotional intelligence?
"Emotional intelligence (EI) describes the ability, capacity, skill or, in the case of the trait EI model, a self-perceived ability to identify, assess, and control the emotions of one's self, of others, and of groups."
Is there such a thing as Intuition? Would you rely on it as a reliable way of knowing? Provide examples.
There is such thing as intuition, when you get a 'feeling' for the answer, but this is not reliable. When i'm taking the SAT i often have an intuition for what the answer is, but often my 'intuition' is wrong because the grammar I have built up throughout the years may not be correct.
Can you classify emotions? What categories could you create?
I think emotions can be classified into 2 general groups, emotions that make you feel good, that have a positive effect, and emotions that make you feel bad, that have a negative effect on you.
What role does emotion play in some of the different areas of knowledge?
Emotion shouldn't come into play in many of the more factual, definite types of knowledge, such as Physics, or Maths. However, in other areas of knowledge such as Art, or English where the individual is expected to analyse the piece of work, the emotion can strongly influence and sway the individual's interpretation of the work, which may not necessarily be wrong but it will be different from what the individual will interpret at a different time with a different emotion.
Is reasoning done to produce knowledge about something specific, or something in general? How is this done? Provide examples of each.
Reasoning could be done to produce both something specific and something in general. Many times people learn about stereotypes, and they use deduction to prove this General theory. Yet at the same time, you can use this stereotype to determine an individual's character.
'Everyone with Afros do their homework all the time' with this 'stereotype' I can observe Abuldrahman's actions, and if he really does hand in all his homework, then I have confirmed my stereotype to a certain degree. Whether or not Abdulrahman hands in his homework, I'll still learn something new about this individual, that he falls under this stereotype or that he goes against the norm.
On the contrary, with Induction we may start to piece our own observations together, if after many years I notice a certain pattern or characteristic of something, I will form a general theory from my observations, which is the process of induction.
What role does time play in judging the truth value of your reasoning, whether inductive or deductive?
I think that the older one gets, the more they rely on induction. This makes sense to me as the older you get, the more experiences you will go through, whether it's traveling observations, or acquaintances with people or physical experiences, there will be a wide range of experiences to use as a strong basis for a theory. Also, I think that the more time you live, and the more you have experienced the more convincing your reasoning..
When we're younger, especially when we're kids we listen to authority, they instill in us many theories and stereotypes which we will carry around, until we are proven wrong through our own observations or other learnings.
How do you know if you are doing it correctly or not?When is it valid or invalid? When is it true or false? Does it always lead to truth? Create syllogisms and let's see.
A way we can verify our theoretical reasoning, is by actual observance, a physical confirmation. However, this isn't always practical when dealing with very large generic theories. Examples with syllogisms:
The roof is always above the floor I am on top of a roof Therefore, I am above the floor
People would definitely view this conclusion as valid. But with this following syllogism
All basketballs are brown I have a basketball Therefore, my basketball is brown.
Technically, my conclusion is valid, BUT we all know that there a variety colours of basketballs, so the flaw in my syllogism is that my first line, the generic statement in invalid which has led to a wrong conclusion. I also know my first statement is wrong because, we often find basketballs that are not brown in stores.
A syllogism can only lead to the truth if the 2 statements are themselves valid.
Are all types of reasoning reliable? How do you know this? Check these fallacies: let's find examples in your life of when they occur -**http://onegoodmove.org/fallacy/toc.htm**
What is the relationship of reasoning to knowledge, the creation or discovery of knowledge, and ultimately, to truth?
What is the relationship of the other WOKs to reasoning?
Possible Activity: Logic formulations – use Oxford text p. 68-72 Also do activity p. 73: find an editorial article and identify the premise and conclusion. Share and compare.
Truth requires an examination of content and meaning
November 3rd TOK
Two true premises, and a true conclusion
The roof is always above the floor
I am standing on top of a roof
So, I am standing above the floor
One true premise, one false premise, and a true conclusion
You have to be younger than 19 to play in the U19 Saikac Tournament
I am 20 years old I play in the U19 Saikac Tournament
One true premise, one false premise and a false conclusion
You have to be American to be the president of the U.S
Rajon Rondo is the president of the U.S
Rajon Rondo is Canadian
Two false premises and a true conclusion
You have to be American to play in the NBA
Kevin Garnett plays for the Hawks
Kevin Garnett is American
Two false premises and a false conclusion Birds eat rocks Socrates is a bird Socrates eats rocks
Are you always reasonable in your reasoning? What does that mean?
Reasonable in reasoning would mean that the statement you're trying to convince someone of is logical and backed up with substantial plausible reasons, like facts and figures or measurable qualities. Often people make try to reason with people but give reasons that aren't convincing, for example 'I am better than you at football because I wear nicer shirts,' there is reasoning going on, but nothing reasonable about the reasons.
A more reasonable reasoning would be 'I am better than you at football, because I can run faster, I have better ball control and can shoot more accurately'. The 3 qualities can actually be compared between the two, and is a very logical and strong basis for a
statement.
The Nature of Reasoning
What exactly is reasoning?
Deriving a conclusions logically from aspects such as information input, observations, analysis.
What does the process of reasoning entail?
Regardless of which process of reasoning it is (inductive or deductive). The process will include stages: Theory, Observation, Confirmation, Conclusion.
Is there good and bad reasoning?
I think this question is similar to the question above about reasonable reasoning.
Is there a history of reasoning?
I think the ability and desire to reason is innate. From the very first people, they realised that fire would hurt them and they eventually used fire to cook. This would have arrived at this conclusion through observations, testing their theories just like people do today when on a daily basis. As our minds are so powerful and able to take in, process and analyse so much it's almost automatic that we come to conclusions are create theories.
Examples of Inductive and Deductive reasoning in my subjects
Subject
Examples
Maths - Induction
Proof by mathematical induction
English - Induction
When we're reading a new novel, as we progress through the pages we notice certain repeating elements which we analyse and derive a theme or motif from
Physics - Induction
When we're doing practicals, like when we're dropping objects and measuring the time take and the different speeds we eventually arrive at the conclusion that gravitational acceleration is 9.8m/s2
Chemistry - Induction
When we're doing titrations, we observe and take down a lot of readings before we arrive at a conclusion of the concentration of the chemical
Is there a difference between the written word and speaking or dialogue?
Yes, there can be huge differences between written word and speaking.
When written, words can be interpreted to have any intention behind the words. (this interpretation can be guided and restricted in context though)
Words in context, or dialogue provides a different meaning to the literal word
When speaking, emotions can be incorporated into our words (via, volume, speed, tone)
The interpretation of words can be non-literal or hinting when spoken (Sarcasm or 'playful' voice like Bilal's)
Spelling and Capitalisation on paper has different meanings (Thnx vs Thank you) (March vs march)
Fonts suggests different meanings (Italic, bold, font size)
The words coming out of different mouths have different weight (instructions or commands from teachers vs children)
Many people have accents, this accent when speaking the written words provide a lot more information
These differences are universally true, and is evident in daily life, our ability to control the volume and pace of our speech gives us the instinct to do so, which is human expression.
Recognising these differences are very important as it helps people communicate and understand one other. This also teaches people to be more wary of what they read and hear, like how the text should be interpreted or how they should react to their bossing shouting at them.
It is also the recognition of such differences that make the movie industry popular, and creates a need for enthusiastic commentators at sports games. However, it is also such differences that torment any languages' literary class, in which students visualise the words and relate them to feelings and emotions and different interpretations.
Does language change? How, when, and why? PINKIES How: - Formal --> Slang (eg. teacher --> friends)
- Translation (eg. from one language to another)
- Interpretation of definition within words (eg. i love you to a friend or to a some one special)
- Time (eg. Chinese & Egyptian symbols)
When: - Migration (eg. depending on where you live and what century
Why: - Easy (efficient)
- Cool (Part of your identity
- Personal codes (eg. own language)
- Changes according to stuff changing (possibly technology)
- Influence (eg. from the people around you)
Is language be personal/individual or is it part of a shared community? STARS - If you think about each word carefully, it is able to fit in to each category of meanings of words, which are Individual, Shared and Common.
- For some words, there is a cultural meaning that comes up first before the individual meaning. For example, “Cinema” in Saudi, in this culture, it is considered wrong and so, for this reason, there are no cinemas in this country.
- The inventing of words are individual at the beginning, but common when shared. For example, Shakespeare and Newspeak in 1984. Some of their words are in the dictionary and are used in everyday language.
- Language is a strong aspect of WOK because it gives meaning to the words and how they are viewed differently.
- Language has both advantage and disadvantage to globalization, for example, for example when people communicate, they have different views on how companies should be developed.
Do words represent images in our minds or some idea out there, or do they refer to real things?
(Moons) - Most of the words can be imagined as pictures or ideas in most of people's minds, and then refer into real things.
- Words that are about real things in life that we can touch, see, hear, taste or smell, are represented in our minds as images or pictures of the thing, though the pictures can be different, but they'll talk about one thing, as long as it's about one specific meaning of the word.
- Most of the words that are imaginable refer to real things. eg.: when someone says there is a dog outside, then most of people will have the idea or the picture "Dog" in their minds, so this helps knowing the word and what does it refer to.
- Words that are about feelings or things that are not touchable or visual are usually unimaginable as pictures, and even if they are, they may not refer to real things directly. eg.: the word "Life" doesn't refer for something real by saying it just like that, but it may make some individual mean or picture for some people.
- Some people make images or ideas for different words, even if they're not real things, to help remember them or make them easier to understand, and that helps a lot building the brain and the memory, and helps making them stronger.
- Usually, words have different images inside each one's mind, so they may have the same meaning or different meanings, depends of the way the person sees or understands the word. This is very similar to the Homonym, which means words that have the same spelling and pronunciation but different meanings. eg: the word "Heart", for some people it may be pictured as a human heart, others may imagine it as a love heart, and some may imagine it as the center of something.
- Words that are universal sometimes have the same picture in our minds, so the whole word will have the same picture when they hear a word like that. eg.: the word "Nine" have a picture of the number nine for most of the people. Some words may have the same picture in specific situations. eg.: the word "Sun" will have the same picture of a sun, when talking about weather or a twilight or something.
- Names that are unique, which means they're not similar to another word, are the words that have only one picture or very similar pictures in people minds, and this is for the situation when talking about a specific known person, and everyone knows that the topic is about him. eg.: "Ludacris" is a common words that will have the same picture for the same person in our mind, or similar pictures, which is the singer.
- Words that are not imaginable are understood by experience and repetition, so people also may make picture which refer to the experiment or the action, and then relate it to the word, so this type also can refer to real things, but indirectly.
- From the previous point above, we notice that the two types of words, words which can be imagined, and words which cannot, can refer to real things for most of us, but the difference is how does it refer, directly or indirectly.
Is language inherently literal or is it figurative? TREES -It depends on the situation, whether a person is being serious or sarcastic
-Confusion between literal and figurative can lead to misconceptions
-Can be literal or figurative depending on how people would interpret it
-People sometimes misunderstand what you say and take it literally
-We use figurative to add humor
-For figurative, we play with words
-Literal is the way you describe what it is
-Figurative is when you play with words by creating metaphors
-Examples:
*Spill the beans
-When you spill a bag of beans
-When you tell someone the full details of a story
*Black eye
-Someone's eyes (iris) are black
-A person was punched in the face and has a black eye
*Blue Monday
-The sky is blue on a Monday
-A sad monday
*Rabbit's foot
-A rabbit's foot
-Can also mean luck
Is language play? In what ways? Provide examples. PLUS SUNS - Language is the way we convey our P.E.R to other people.
- Each individual has their own language P.E.R.
- "Hang on", someone could wait or jump on you.
- "Im going to kill you !!" The person saying it is either angry person or a serial killer.
- All words can be used as play or plain communication.
- There is a difference between written and spoken.
- Verbal language tends to be more playful while sign language is usually used as plain communication.
Ways of KnowingKnowing by way of senses
In what ways does the biological constitution of a living organism determine, influence or limit its perception?
Different animals or insects have very different attributes. Animals such as dogs have very enhances sense of smell, they're able to differentiate between people, animals and even hazards through their nose, which limits the dogs reliability on his other senses such as vision (black & white), so to a dog people have different scents, even though they may not be able to recognise twins, they'll be able to find a man in disguise.Flies, the insect has almost a 360 degree peripheral vision, which allows it to see incoming danger from all angles, providing the fly with higher survival chances. At the same time the flies hairs are so sensitive that they can feel the force from an incoming swat, boosting it's survivability rates. So a fly would rely mainly on it's vision and touch to survive in nature.
If humans are sensitive only to certain ranges of stimuli, what consequences, including positive attributes and limitations, might this have for the acquisition of knowledge? Provide examples.
Smell - Humans don't have a very effective nose, in that it can only smell much more concentrated odours which help it recognise the smell of for example bread or tomatos. Even though our nose is able to different between a very wide range of odours, it's very limited compared to how a dog can easily distinguish the scent of different people, animals or even explosives and drugs.Our limit in smell, makes us rely more on our senses such as vision to recognise people, animals and hazards. When we perceive an object as 'nice' we may only be judging it's aesthetic quality, as we may not be able to pick up on a 'bad smell'.
Hearing - Humans ears are capable of picking a wide range of sounds, and be able to recognise difference in pitch or volume like we do when we're listening to music, the most acute of human hearing would probably be being born with perfect pitch. However, as impressive as perfect pitch is, compared to the ears of a Cat, the human ears can't pick up very quiet, and high frequency sounds.
Our knowledge is limited through hearing in the way that because we can't hear anything with our ears, we assume that it's not making any noise, but it could be. Such as the ticking of a clock, or the sounds dolphins make.
Sight - Humans are able to distinguish different colours from each other, which is a positive attribute that enhances our aesthetic perception, but our vision is very limited in how we can't 'zoom in' to futher objects, look up close at a material, have a wider scope of vision, or be able to see in the dark, while many animals have the forementioned attributes.
As our eyes can't allow us to see things in detail from a distance, the judgement we make of a building, drawing from a distance can vary from what we perceive up close, which explains how many optical illusions work. Our inability to look at things up close and in great detail can also bias or alter our judgement, something smooth can turn out to be very rough.
How does technology extend and modify the capabilities of the senses?
Modern day technology is able to extend all our senses far beyond our naked sense. With microscopes and telescopes, we're now able to zoom in to even molecular detail of a material, and on the flip side we're to look at and analyse the surface of the moon, compared to the silver disc we see with our bare eyes.
Deteriorating vision is a natural process or even an innate quality, but glasses can now easily correct our vision.
Hearing aids help us pick up much softer noises, especially for elderly people with poor hearing. While sound receivers are able to recognise high frequency sounds which our ears can't pick up and display the information to us through other means( numeric, graphical).
relies on smell
Sensitive hairs
feel incoming danger
can't hear
___
Perception
What are the primary ways in which we know the world around us?Are there stages to perception?
Here are some recognized stages. Define them and find examples:-filtering - subconsciously ignoring certain things. Ignoring the air con sound in the middle of class, ignoring my bag that's pressed against me.
-halo and horn effect - Seeing 1 thing, then realising your first impression was wrong. Seeing a big tall bball gear wearing person, but turns out he doesn't play basketball at all
-organizing - taking in and rearranging what you have perceived from different senses/ideas/observations to come to a conclusion
-There are 70 floors in the building, 6 apartments per floor, 3 people per apartment. i can organise this information to find out how many people live in this building.
-stereotyping - Prejudices we hold before a real understanding - Zein tells me he's lebanese, so I assume he eats tabouleh.
-filling in information - When you consciously use certain sense to come to a conclusion - I see white liquid, I smell or taste it to verify my assumption that it's milk.
-interpretation - reading and analysing a situation - Fahad came in with big smiles and spoke very bubbly, I can interpret this situation and come to a conclusion, good news, good breakfast, good night's sleep.
Perceptual Illusions
Is your perception always accurate? Provide examples of when it is trustworthy, and when it might not be.Perception is not always accurate, I've mistaken the smell of fried chicken to be fried fish.
Are people’s perceptions the same? How do you know this? Does this invalidate your or another person’s experience?
People's perception is very different, although our senses generally work the same way, but everything is relative. Alyssa might view me as tall, but Mr. Tennis views me as short, but my height hasn't changed. My height is relative to them, or what they're used to, so neither perception is invalid, just different.
Why might misperceptions occur?
Misinterpretation can occur for many reasons:
Flawed senses - Many people are short sighted, or long sighted, and therefore often mistakes an object for another, or printed words for other words too.
Unfamiliarity - Certain scents A and B can be quite similar, if the person has only been exposed to A before, s/he may not catch on to the small changes and mispercept B for A, which is a scent he knows
Relativity - If Adam was stood next to Mr. Tennis, from a distance I would think Adam is short, and most likely shorter than me, but in reality he isn't. Same with placing Zein next to someone smaller than him, I may interpret the information and conclude that Zein is much taller than me, which in reality he isn't.
Selectivity of Perception
How do we validate our perceptions? Do we ignore some and rely more heavily on others? Why?There are many ways to validate our perceptions.
Moving in closer - (Vision) from a distance I may not be able to tell what breed a dog is, but if i move closer I can be sure that it really is a Labrador.
Comparison to memories - (Smell, Taste, Vision) If I had seen this dog before, or that I had read it is a Labrador, then my assumption of the breed of this dog would be validated
Survey - (Vision, Smell, Taste) If I think this meat tastes like beef, I can ask my friends to try it and tell me whether or not my perception is in line with theirs, the majority.
Authority - (Vision) I may not be sure of this breed of dog that' i've so I can look it up on the internet or ask the owner to confirm my assumptions.
As humans, I think we rely on Vision more than anything else for several reasons. As many objects can be made of the same material, or made to be in similar shapes, we can't touch this object and know that it is the one we're looking for, e.g note books with names on top. Also, human's sense of smell is not very acute, we are not able to differentiate between the scent of people, or books etc. To taste things would imply that we put the object into our mouth, which isn't plausible as it's dangerous, and also people can't taste the difference between a green notebook and a blue notebook.
What things might affect how you interpret your perceptions? Is this selectivity conscious or unconscious?
Many different aspects will affect the way people interpret perceptions, which mostly I think are unconscious.
Poor vision - If my eyesight isn't very good, I may misread the word 'reed' for 'read' in a book, which isn't a conscious action for me to read a word incorrectly, I was influenced by my vision.
Relativity - Putting a 6ft person next to Mr. Tennis, would make this person appear short, we unconsciously compare this person's size to Mr. Tennis'.
Can you provide reasons why people perceive things differently? Explain
Everyone is born physically difference, which means that different people will actually receive different information inputs from the same situation, also I think that people tend to compare their environment and situations to themselves and their memories which comes back to how relativity affects people's perception.
Innate senses - Not everyone is born with the same sensitivity of senses. There are people who are born with an over-efficient skin reproduction system so salt on their skin would burn much more than on a regular persons'. Also, how some people are able to eat more spice than others reflects on the different tongue sensitivity. Some people are also born colour blind.
Relativity - A 4ft person may seem short to me, but to a baby this person would appear to be a giant. The baby and I both took in the same image of this 4ft person, but our perceptions are of opposites, because the baby and I are physically different too.
Seeing and Believing
What do you create from your perceptions? In this case, one could ask, what belief or models affect our perception?What we make from our perceptions can be very much affected by our upraising, our influence and religious faith.
Influence - If I watched a amateur magic trick with a 5 year old, I wouldn't believe in this trick at all as I've been told otherwise and I've personally learned some of the tricks behind the amateur magic tricks, however a 5 year old strongly believes in the existence of magic.
Upraising - If people are raised in different places, rural, urban, rich or poor areas their judgement of differnet places they go to will be very different, and their judgment of aspects such as sanity and space can differ greatly.
Religious Faith - In places such as the U.S and England, people eating pork bacon for breakfast would be the most mundane and ordinary situation ever. However, countries such as Saudi Arabia prohibit even the existence of pigs in the country, so to a Muslim, watching some one eat pork can be very offensive, but not to an Atheist, or believer of certain other faiths. So this 'pork is bad' concept can be written in etched so deeply that they unconsciously and automatically perceive eating pork as bad.
This leads to the question of if, or how are, the senses used in the different Areas of Knowing?
Information that we take in from our senses are stored in the our minds and memory, so that when ever we encounter similar objects or situations again, we can call upon our memory to recognise something, or to act in a certain way.
This one is important and could use some additional ideas.
Distinguishing Appearance from Reality
How would you be able to confirm if your perceptions are representing what you are experiencing accurately?
I don't think I there is always a way to confirm whether or not my perceptions are 'accurate', as I have mentioned before everything is relative to the person experiencing it, and that everyone's senses have a different level of sensitivity. However, when people have obvious flaws in their senses such as colour blind, or short sight, we can either ask someone else with better vision, or move in closer to confirm the experience.
We can also have external influences, whether it's from hallucinogens or even fatigue in our body, we can wait till these effects disappear to confirm our perceptions.
Reality
So if there is agreement that perceptions may not be perfect, then how do we get around them to perceive reality? Or, is this even possible?There is not always definite way to get around to perceive reality, because most times the information the individual's senses perceive is the reality. The extensive use of technology can fine tune or make certain senses more acute.
Situations where there really is a reality, is when there is a definite answer, such as the misreading of words. Perceptions such as their taste of a food could be different, but the extra spiciness they feel is their reality, as is their vertigo or sensitivity to height.
word
Explaining Earth to the Aliens
Our perceptions can be different. It may not be able to hear, speak, see, or smell. Colour blind, sees more colours, extremely sensitive smell etc.
Try to explain that all humans will look like me in the sense of head, body, arms, legs, fingers etc. Explain people have differnet colours, height. Will not try to explain gender, because the differences can be too subtle for aliens
Draw or present some pictures of buildings, and cars as that's how life is in most societies nowadays.
I'll try to explain to him all the things I see are from me, point to my eyes, ears, nose, hands, mouth. So it's the truth for pretty much everyone else.
The nature of emotions
What is the underlying nature of our emotions?It can be arbitrary, but there is always influence from our environment, from the information we're receiving, and the condition our body.
When you feel an emotion, how do you know you are feeling that way? Can you explain why you are having this emotion?
You 'feel' the emotion, there aren't any definite ways to describe that you know, but there are always signs that give away your emotion, as well as desires you feel in you like, the desire to punch someone in the face.
Sad - Face drops, start crying, can't smile anymore
Angry - The desire to punch someone in the face, face becomes very serious
Happy - Smile, very light mood, sees the good to everything,
Describe the process by which you develop an emotion. In what ways do we describe emotions through language?
A mental state that arises spontaneously rather than through conscious effort and is often accompanied by physiological changes; a feeling: the emotions of joy, sorrow, reverence, hate, and love.
We develop emotions through the information we take in from our environment, whether or not we like what we hear will affect our emotions, as will our judgment of actions we see around us. Emotions can also be altered physically, through a physical pain, or physical nausea.
Describing emotions through language is difficult, as it's something that people feel, different people feel these emotions differently, some people can't feel and recognise emotions.
Can you reason about emotions?
There are ways you can reason yourself out of a certain emotion, however the time it takes or the effort it takes may vary depending on the intensity of the emotions.
Intensities of Sorrow:
Death of close relative - You can reason yourself out of this if they really died peacefully, and that death brings and end to their pain, if they were sick before. However, the loss of the person will still make a lasting impact, and it may take a few months or years to really convince yourself, to not feel sorrow over the death anymore.
Failing of a Quiz - You can always tell yourself to work harder, prepare and do well on the next quiz. Learn something from this experience, or find a plausible excuse (was sick, not enough time to prepare).
What things influence your emotions?
Information - Good or Bad news. Funny or Sad movie.
Longing - Missing or longing for an object, experience or person.
Physical Conditions - Pain, Hunger, Nausea, bad vision etc.
Environment - Hot, Dry, Humid, Cold etc. This is closely tied in to physical conditions though.
Are controlling emotions a good or a bad thing? Explain with examples.
Controlling emotions is a good thing, because in many cases emotions such as Anger and Sadness can be overwhelming and especially with anger, you may end up doing something you didn't meant to. Being able to control these emotions means that you're always able to control your actions. Also it's always important to know when to settle down and calm the 'happiness' with in you down.
How do emotions change as you get older? Why does this happen?
As we grow older, our emotions become more 'hardened', as we would have been exposed to a wide range of experiences, we will have a rating system in our mind, where dropping a cup on the ground will bring negligible sadness in comparison to the death of a relative. We learn to control our emotions better as well, because throughout the years we understand our emotions more, and we learn to avoid or solve the different situations that affect us uniquely.
Are emotions influenced by culture?
Different cultures, appreciate or despise different things so when 2 people of different cultures receive the same information, the emotions they feel can be of opposites. Some cultures might commit more beating than others, people from the beating culture will be more hardened against pain, and the emotions they feel when watching other people getting beat could be different. (terrible example.)
Emotions as obstacle
Can emotions affect the way we understand something?Yes, emotions can greatly affect the way we understand/learn something. Similar to what was mentioned in the video on the TOK wiki, if we are convinced we can't achieve something, or we are convinced that we don't like it, then the emotions will really affect our ability to learn or understand the topic.
If a person was really down and unhappy, this emotion can be so overwhelming that when they try to watch a comedy movie, they don't see any funny in it at all, and fail to understand the humor.
Can emotions limit the reliability or even the validity of a knowledge claim? Provide examples.
When we are strongly influenced by different emotions, the way we perceive things change, which gives doubt to the knowledge given during this period.
e.g - if someone was extremely upset over something, and someone oblivious to the emotion came over and said something friendly but mildly offensive, then the person can react wildly compared to how they would usually laugh and understand the harmlessness behind the words.
Can emotional responses be misunderstood by others? How do you get around that?
Yes, different situations pertain to people differently, if 1 specific situation affects an individual greatly, and causes them to react or act wildly, this can be interpreted by other people wrongly, in that the situation isn't as severe it has been exaggerated by the person's reaction. You can't really get around this other than to actually go experience the situation yourself.
Emotions as source
Can emotions be an important aspect of creating knowledge? Provide examples.Emotions will create a biased opinion, in that this knowledge may not be as accurate.
A sad person who watched a comedy movie may find it boring, which may be the truth to the person, but that person was also under influence, which deems this 'movie is not funny' knowledge inaccurate.
What is emotional intelligence?
"Emotional intelligence (EI) describes the ability, capacity, skill or, in the case of the trait EI model, a self-perceived ability to identify, assess, and control the emotions of one's self, of others, and of groups."
Is there such a thing as Intuition? Would you rely on it as a reliable way of knowing? Provide examples.
There is such thing as intuition, when you get a 'feeling' for the answer, but this is not reliable. When i'm taking the SAT i often have an intuition for what the answer is, but often my 'intuition' is wrong because the grammar I have built up throughout the years may not be correct.
Can you classify emotions? What categories could you create?
I think emotions can be classified into 2 general groups, emotions that make you feel good, that have a positive effect, and emotions that make you feel bad, that have a negative effect on you.
What role does emotion play in some of the different areas of knowledge?
Emotion shouldn't come into play in many of the more factual, definite types of knowledge, such as Physics, or Maths. However, in other areas of knowledge such as Art, or English where the individual is expected to analyse the piece of work, the emotion can strongly influence and sway the individual's interpretation of the work, which may not necessarily be wrong but it will be different from what the individual will interpret at a different time with a different emotion.
Lots of good work on this page David.
Types of Reasoning
What are inductive and deductive processes of reasoning? What is informal reasoning?
http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/dedind.php
Inductive - Experience/Observation - Pattern - Tentative Hypothesis - Theory
'I see bilal riding to school on bicycle'
'He rides to school every day of the week'
'Bilal rides his bike to school every day'
Deductive - Theory - Hypothesis - Observation - Confirmation
'Everyone with Afros hand in their homework all the time'
*Observe Abulrahman's actions*
to come to a confirmation
Informal reasoning - Informal logic is the attempt to develop a logic to assess, analyse and improve ordinary language ( or "everyday") reasoning.
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/logic-informal/
Is reasoning done to produce knowledge about something specific, or something in general? How is this done? Provide examples of each.
Reasoning could be done to produce both something specific and something in general. Many times people learn about stereotypes, and they use deduction to prove this General theory. Yet at the same time, you can use this stereotype to determine an individual's character.
'Everyone with Afros do their homework all the time' with this 'stereotype' I can observe Abuldrahman's actions, and if he really does hand in all his homework, then I have confirmed my stereotype to a certain degree. Whether or not Abdulrahman hands in his homework, I'll still learn something new about this individual, that he falls under this stereotype or that he goes against the norm.
On the contrary, with Induction we may start to piece our own observations together, if after many years I notice a certain pattern or characteristic of something, I will form a general theory from my observations, which is the process of induction.
What role does time play in judging the truth value of your reasoning, whether inductive or deductive?
I think that the older one gets, the more they rely on induction. This makes sense to me as the older you get, the more experiences you will go through, whether it's traveling observations, or acquaintances with people or physical experiences, there will be a wide range of experiences to use as a strong basis for a theory. Also, I think that the more time you live, and the more you have experienced the more convincing your reasoning..
When we're younger, especially when we're kids we listen to authority, they instill in us many theories and stereotypes which we will carry around, until we are proven wrong through our own observations or other learnings.
How do you know if you are doing it correctly or not? When is it valid or invalid? When is it true or false? Does it always lead to truth? Create syllogisms and let's see.
A way we can verify our theoretical reasoning, is by actual observance, a physical confirmation. However, this isn't always practical when dealing with very large generic theories. Examples with syllogisms:
The roof is always above the floor
I am on top of a roof
Therefore, I am above the floor
People would definitely view this conclusion as valid. But with this following syllogism
All basketballs are brown
I have a basketball
Therefore, my basketball is brown.
Technically, my conclusion is valid, BUT we all know that there a variety colours of basketballs, so the flaw in my syllogism is that my first line, the generic statement in invalid which has led to a wrong conclusion. I also know my first statement is wrong because, we often find basketballs that are not brown in stores.
A syllogism can only lead to the truth if the 2 statements are themselves valid.
Are all types of reasoning reliable? How do you know this? Check these fallacies: let's find examples in your life of when they occur - **http://onegoodmove.org/fallacy/toc.htm**
What is the relationship of reasoning to knowledge, the creation or discovery of knowledge, and ultimately, to truth?
What is the difference between empiricism and rationalism? Which do you think explains reality with greater accuracy? Provide examples of each. Visit: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/rationalism-empiricism/
What sorts of things might influence reasoning?
What is the relationship of the other WOKs to reasoning?
Possible Activity: Logic formulations – use Oxford text p. 68-72
Also do activity p. 73: find an editorial article and identify the premise and conclusion. Share and compare.
Truth requires an examination of content and meaning
November 3rd TOK
Two true premises, and a true conclusion
The roof is always above the floorI am standing on top of a roof
So, I am standing above the floor
One true premise, one false premise, and a true conclusion
You have to be younger than 19 to play in the U19 Saikac Tournament
I am 20 years old
I play in the U19 Saikac Tournament
One true premise, one false premise and a false conclusion
You have to be American to be the president of the U.S
Rajon Rondo is the president of the U.S
Rajon Rondo is Canadian
Two false premises and a true conclusion
You have to be American to play in the NBA
Kevin Garnett plays for the Hawks
Kevin Garnett is American
Two false premises and a false conclusion
Birds eat rocks
Socrates is a bird
Socrates eats rocks
Are you always reasonable in your reasoning? What does that mean?
Reasonable in reasoning would mean that the statement you're trying to convince someone of is logical and backed up with substantial plausible reasons, like facts and figures or measurable qualities. Often people make try to reason with people but give reasons that aren't convincing, for example 'I am better than you at football because I wear nicer shirts,' there is reasoning going on, but nothing reasonable about the reasons.
A more reasonable reasoning would be 'I am better than you at football, because I can run faster, I have better ball control and can shoot more accurately'. The 3 qualities can actually be compared between the two, and is a very logical and strong basis for a
statement.
The Nature of Reasoning
What exactly is reasoning?Deriving a conclusions logically from aspects such as information input, observations, analysis.
What does the process of reasoning entail?
Regardless of which process of reasoning it is (inductive or deductive). The process will include stages: Theory, Observation, Confirmation, Conclusion.
Is there good and bad reasoning?
I think this question is similar to the question above about reasonable reasoning.
Is there a history of reasoning?
I think the ability and desire to reason is innate. From the very first people, they realised that fire would hurt them and they eventually used fire to cook. This would have arrived at this conclusion through observations, testing their theories just like people do today when on a daily basis. As our minds are so powerful and able to take in, process and analyse so much it's almost automatic that we come to conclusions are create theories.
Examples of Inductive and Deductive reasoning in my subjects
Is there a difference between the written word and speaking or dialogue?
Yes, there can be huge differences between written word and speaking.
These differences are universally true, and is evident in daily life, our ability to control the volume and pace of our speech gives us the instinct to do so, which is human expression.
Recognising these differences are very important as it helps people communicate and understand one other. This also teaches people to be more wary of what they read and hear, like how the text should be interpreted or how they should react to their bossing shouting at them.
It is also the recognition of such differences that make the movie industry popular, and creates a need for enthusiastic commentators at sports games. However, it is also such differences that torment any languages' literary class, in which students visualise the words and relate them to feelings and emotions and different interpretations.
Does language change? How, when, and why? PINKIES
How: - Formal --> Slang (eg. teacher --> friends)
- Translation (eg. from one language to another)
- Interpretation of definition within words (eg. i love you to a friend or to a some one special)
- Time (eg. Chinese & Egyptian symbols)
When: - Migration (eg. depending on where you live and what century
Why: - Easy (efficient)
- Cool (Part of your identity
- Personal codes (eg. own language)
- Changes according to stuff changing (possibly technology)
- Influence (eg. from the people around you)
Is language be personal/individual or is it part of a shared community? STARS
- If you think about each word carefully, it is able to fit in to each category of meanings of words, which are Individual, Shared and Common.
- For some words, there is a cultural meaning that comes up first before the individual meaning. For example, “Cinema” in Saudi, in this culture, it is considered wrong and so, for this reason, there are no cinemas in this country.
- The inventing of words are individual at the beginning, but common when shared. For example, Shakespeare and Newspeak in 1984. Some of their words are in the dictionary and are used in everyday language.
- Language is a strong aspect of WOK because it gives meaning to the words and how they are viewed differently.
- Language has both advantage and disadvantage to globalization, for example, for example when people communicate, they have different views on how companies should be developed.
Do words represent images in our minds or some idea out there, or do they refer to real things?
(Moons)
- Most of the words can be imagined as pictures or ideas in most of people's minds, and then refer into real things.
- Words that are about real things in life that we can touch, see, hear, taste or smell, are represented in our minds as images or pictures of the thing, though the pictures can be different, but they'll talk about one thing, as long as it's about one specific meaning of the word.
- Most of the words that are imaginable refer to real things. eg.: when someone says there is a dog outside, then most of people will have the idea or the picture "Dog" in their minds, so this helps knowing the word and what does it refer to.
- Words that are about feelings or things that are not touchable or visual are usually unimaginable as pictures, and even if they are, they may not refer to real things directly. eg.: the word "Life" doesn't refer for something real by saying it just like that, but it may make some individual mean or picture for some people.
- Some people make images or ideas for different words, even if they're not real things, to help remember them or make them easier to understand, and that helps a lot building the brain and the memory, and helps making them stronger.
- Usually, words have different images inside each one's mind, so they may have the same meaning or different meanings, depends of the way the person sees or understands the word. This is very similar to the Homonym, which means words that have the same spelling and pronunciation but different meanings. eg: the word "Heart", for some people it may be pictured as a human heart, others may imagine it as a love heart, and some may imagine it as the center of something.
- Words that are universal sometimes have the same picture in our minds, so the whole word will have the same picture when they hear a word like that. eg.: the word "Nine" have a picture of the number nine for most of the people. Some words may have the same picture in specific situations. eg.: the word "Sun" will have the same picture of a sun, when talking about weather or a twilight or something.
- Names that are unique, which means they're not similar to another word, are the words that have only one picture or very similar pictures in people minds, and this is for the situation when talking about a specific known person, and everyone knows that the topic is about him. eg.: "Ludacris" is a common words that will have the same picture for the same person in our mind, or similar pictures, which is the singer.
- Words that are not imaginable are understood by experience and repetition, so people also may make picture which refer to the experiment or the action, and then relate it to the word, so this type also can refer to real things, but indirectly.
- From the previous point above, we notice that the two types of words, words which can be imagined, and words which cannot, can refer to real things for most of us, but the difference is how does it refer, directly or indirectly.
Is language inherently literal or is it figurative? TREES
-It depends on the situation, whether a person is being serious or sarcastic
-Confusion between literal and figurative can lead to misconceptions
-Can be literal or figurative depending on how people would interpret it
-People sometimes misunderstand what you say and take it literally
-We use figurative to add humor
-For figurative, we play with words
-Literal is the way you describe what it is
-Figurative is when you play with words by creating metaphors
-Examples:
*Spill the beans
-When you spill a bag of beans
-When you tell someone the full details of a story
*Black eye
-Someone's eyes (iris) are black
-A person was punched in the face and has a black eye
*Blue Monday
-The sky is blue on a Monday
-A sad monday
*Rabbit's foot
-A rabbit's foot
-Can also mean luck
Is language play? In what ways? Provide examples. PLUS SUNS
- Language is the way we convey our P.E.R to other people.
- Each individual has their own language P.E.R.
- "Hang on", someone could wait or jump on you.
- "Im going to kill you !!" The person saying it is either angry person or a serial killer.
- All words can be used as play or plain communication.
- There is a difference between written and spoken.
- Verbal language tends to be more playful while sign language is usually used as plain communication.